On July 14th, 1964 Royal Canadian Air Force Avro Lancaster KB882 made her final fly past over Edmundston, New Brunswick and landed at the Municipal Airport where she has remained to this day.

Those young men who flew with Group 6 Bomber Command during the dark days of the Second World War, and again in the cold Canadian Arctic, photo mapping and Soviet Ice Station reconnaissance missions of the 1950’s, are now fading memories and snapshots in a long forgotten photo album.

Avro Lancaster KB882 is a National Treasure. This aircraft is an example of Canadian engineering, manufacturing, and determination to do whatever it took for “King and Country”. One of 430 Mk.X models built in Canada by Victory Aircraft and one of 7,377 produced during the war years, it is now only one of 17 known complete airframes to survive Worldwide.

KB882 has a secret past. Within this exclusive club of survivors, it is 1 of only 4 remaining Avro Lancaster Bombers to have crossed the English Channel in the dark of night to see operational service over Occupied Europe. KB882 and her crew of young men from 428 Squadron flew eleven operational sorties, “because they had a job to do” for Freedom, Liberation and Victory In Europe. .

Our Lancaster went on to survive the scrapper’s torch and serve the RCAF for another 12 years through the 1950’s and early 1960’s with 408 Squadron.

It is now our turn to preserve the past and honour all of those who gave their lives for the cause of Freedom. We are not just restoring and old airplane, we are keeping their memory alive. It is now our turn to carry The Torch.